In an open letter to the research and advocacy community, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, announced the Office of Disease Prevention’s (ODP) new strategic plan to “strengthen research through increased coordination and facilitation among NIH institutes, centers, and offices, including leveraging the power of new portfolio analysis tools, ensuring ongoing communications with stakeholders, and building trans-NIH partnerships to address gaps in prevention research.”
Emphasizing three areas, the strategic plan—that runs through 2023—will focus on:
- Leading causes and risk factors for premature morbidity and mortality
- Health disparities
- Dissemination and implementation research
Through the ODP, NIH has put a distinct focus on prevention, making clear that the strategic plan aims to be a pervasive, cross-institute approach to health care and research.
“The ODP’s reach goes beyond the NIH,” Collins said. “ODP staff represent the agency on important initiatives across the Department of Health and Human Services. The ODP ensures that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, administered by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, has the most up-to-date research results to provide well-informed clinical preventive service recommendations.”